The Federal Government on Tuesday raised fresh concerns over Nigeria’s deepening learning crisis, revealing that about three out of every four children at the basic education level are unable to read and understand an age-appropriate text by the age of 10.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Olatunji Alausa, disclosed this in Abuja at the Federal Ministry of Education and Universal Basic Education Commission Roundtable Convening Meeting on Digital Resources Available to Achieving Learning Outcomes, describing the situation as unacceptable and warning that Nigeria must urgently embrace technology-driven learning to reverse the trend.
Explaining the scale of the crisis, Alausa said, “Learning poverty means that by the age of 10, a child cannot read and understand an age-appropriate text. In Nigeria today, three out of every four children are learning poor. That is simply unacceptable.”
He said the disturbing statistics underscored the urgent need to transform teaching and learning through digital technology.
“We don’t have a choice. We have to use technology. It is no longer feasible to continue to do things manually. Digital learning is the future, and we must deploy it to every part of the country, including the most rural communities.”
